Memphis, TN and the surrounding area has some of the most talented girls basketball players in the nation and everyone is taking notice. Continue to visit and I will tell you why Memphis is a Mecca for Top Girls and Womens College Basketball Unsigned Players, Recruits, and Prospects.
MemphisGirlsBasketball.com is a resource for prep news, recruiters, recruiting, and area scouting report .

Pages

Thursday, September 13, 2012

MIAA rule sends message about academics

article from CommercialAppeal.com

Brian Tate is disappointed that he's not able to watch his son Kylan
suit up for the Central High football team this fall because of Memphis
City Schools' 2.0 rule. But he does think the right message is being
sent.

"It's been a good lesson," he said. "His mom and I stress academics
... he's accepted it and now his focus is on improving his grades. He's
an athlete and he plans to try out for the basketball team.
"They've taken the pass/play rule and they've upped the ante with it."

Kylan Tate, a sophomore who was expected to challenge for the
Warriors starting quarterback job according to his father, would have
been eligible under the old rule, which stated players had to pass five
classes. But under the new rule, which states that players have to have a
2.0 grade-point average in the previous semester in order to play, he
wasn't.

The rule became effective in March of this year and applies to all interscholastic activities.
And while it's too early to assess the full impact of the rule,
school board member Betty Mallott said the message, an increased focus
on academics, is getting across to students and parents.
"The purpose is to motivate the students to work harder
academically," she said. "Too many young people involved in sports think
that's their only avenue and they don't develop other aspects.
"It's a shift in values. Even if it gives them an excuse to go home
and study just so they can stay on the team (that's a positive.)"

Several city coaches contacted by The Commercial Appeal about the
rule declined to comment on the record so it's unclear how it has
affected teams in terms of numbers. An informal survey at the preseason
MIAA coaches meeting indicated teams would lose anywhere from just a few
to 20 players.

And for schools without big rosters to begin with, the problem is magnified.
One coach who did comment, Kingsbury's Earl Lester, said he was in favor of it.
"I think it's something they should have done a long time ago," the
Falcons' fourth-year coach said. "How can you be ready for college if
you can't get a 2.0? (Without the rule) we're not really helping kids."

Lester added that he had a minimum 2.5 requirement in place for his
team already, so the Falcons were perhaps better prepared than some.

"We lost one of our starting wide receivers, a senior, and now we
only have five seniors. It hurt us pretty bad but I don't want the
players to get the message that if you don't pass you can still play."
Several Memphis city schools compete in districts alongside Shelby
County schools, which use the "pass five classes" standard to determine
athletic eligibility. Mallott acknowledged that some might see that as
unfair.

"Yes, I suppose you could say that," she said. "But we can't say just
because someone else doesn't follow a rule doesn't mean when don't have
to. Our children (in city schools) face special challenges, even at
home."